Off-Screen Content

Cry It Out For Naps? Here’s What You Need To Know.

When you are working on sleep, you generally want better nighttime sleep AND better naps. But can one method achieve both? Can the kind of sleep training method you choose work for nights but not for naps, or vice versa? Do you need to follow a separate set of sleep “rules” for naps than you follow for nights?

The answer is often yes – and that especially applies to those of you who may be using a cry it out sleep training approach. Keep reading for details!

Sleep Training: Naps vs. Nights

First off, it’s important to understand how sleep training varies from day to night, and how the results you see at nighttime may not match the results you get at nap time. You can read this post, Why Nap Sleep Is Different Than Night Sleep, for more details.

Cry It Out Sleep Training

Now, let me be clear – we are not advocating for cry it out sleep training here. There are many, many other ways to work on your baby or toddler’s sleep, and we usually recommend trying some of those options before resorting to cry it out. That said, we recognize (and respect) that some families have weighed all of their options and have decided to use a cry it out approach to sleep training. If that’s you, then you’ll find some of these cry it out articles helpful before you start, or if you have already started and are struggling:

Cry It Out For Naps: 5 Things To Remember

In general, cry it out sleep training will work largely the same way for nights and for naps. However, there are 5 pointers you should remember when you’re working on cry it out for naps:

Don’t let your baby or toddler cry indefinitely until he falls asleep. This can make cry it out unmanageable for both you and your baby. Instead, choose a length of time for one “attempt” (usually 30-60 minutes).

If your baby or toddler doesn’t fall asleep and ends up missing a nap, don’t wait until the next scheduled nap time; that can lead to overtiredness that will, in turn, make sleep training even harder. Rather, try again for another nap attempt 30-60 minutes later. Yes, this means your nap schedule may go out the window for a few days, but remember, your goal is for your baby to learn how to fall asleep independently. Once your child can do that, you can focus on getting the schedule back on track.

Here’s a tough but true fact: naps are generally harder than nights, when it comes to cry it out. Many parents report that they start to see success at night before they see success at nap time. Even if a baby cried “just” 20 minutes at night (which can feel like success indeed!), they could cry a whole hour during the day.

As mentioned before, the schedule may go out the window if your baby or toddler ends up missing naps due to sleep training, but as best you can, try to watch the timing of naps to ensure that you are putting your child down at an optimal time for sleep. We sometimes see situations in which a parent puts a child down too early for a nap to “give them time to cry.” We don’t recommend this at all; you want to put your child down when she is ready for sleep, but no so tired that she can’t relax and actually drift off. Doing this can actually help minimize crying as you get farther along in sleep training.

For the 3rd nap (or 4th or 5th), we generally do not recommend letting your child cry. We typically focus on just two naps with cry it out (or just one for a toddler who has already transitioned to one nap).

Remember, no matter how you approach nap training with your child, you CAN do it — there is a method out there that will work for you and your baby! It may just take some trial and error to find one that fits.

Need Help Sleep Training (Cry It Out Naps Or Otherwise)? Let The Baby Sleep Site® Help You!

If you’ve tried sleep training on your own without success, you are not alone; many, many parents struggle to get their babies and toddlers sleeping well. What you may need at this point is an expert to help you through the sleep training process. Connect with one of our expert consultants today; she’ll craft a Personalized Sleep Plan™ just for your baby, walk you through every step of sleep coaching and schedule-making, and provide detailed answers to your most pressing sleep questions.

Or, join our Members Area packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, peer support, and more. It actually costs less to join than buying products separately! And don’t forget that as a member, you’ll also enjoy a weekly chat with an expert sleep consultant, which is perfect if you have truly tough, pressing sleep coaching questions that require expert help. And the best part – members receive 20% off all sleep consultation services!

Have you tried cry it out for naps? Any questions or tips? Share below!

Need Baby and Toddler Sleep Help? We Have the Resources You Need!

If you are tired of wading through stacks of baby sleep books that just aren't working, if you are beyond exhausted and just can't solve your child's sleep problems on your own...than personalized sleep consulting is for you. Our team of expert consultants will create a Personalized Sleep Plan® just for your family and then support you through every step of implementing your plan. We encourage you to consider our personalized, one-on-one baby and toddler sleep consultation packages if you want to see real, meaningful results now. Your consultation package also includes ample follow-up help, designed to help you troubleshoot problems and tweak your plan as needed.

Learn More About The 5-Step SystemJoin our Members Area packed with exclusive content and resources: e-Books, assessments, detailed case studies, expert advice, and more. As a member, you'll also enjoy a weekly chat with an expert sleep consultant. And the best part - members receive 20% off all sleep consultation services!

Related Posts

Reader Interactions

Comments

Kaitlinsays

Hi there,
Our baby is 15 months and we have started nap training him. So far he has not napped in a week since starting the training and I am not sure what to do? Any advice is appreciated. His naps are at 930-1030 and 230-4. He cries through both windows.
Thank you!!
Kait

Hi @Kait – Thank you for writing to us! Yikes! I am sorry that nap training has not been going smoothly! A week without naps is not fun. : / Have you checked out this article?:https://www.babysleepsite.com/baby-naps-2/nap-training-how-and-when/
For a bit more help, you may want to consider our eBook: Mastering Naps and Schedules. This eBook includes over 45 sample daytime nap and feeding schedules, as well as tips on how to sleep coach for nap times, and how to also lengthen short naps. This eBook is an easy read, and is perfect for helping you teach your child healthy napping habits.
You can read more about this here:http://www.babysleepsite.com/mastering-naps
I hope that things smooth out quickly Kait! Hang in there, and contact us if you need any further assistance!

Hi, my daughter (8 weeks) is struggling at bed times to put herself to sleep. I’d like to get her on a schedule but she cries through to her next feed without napping. Yesterday she was awake between 1.30pm to 9pm with the exception of 15 mins power nap in the stroller!! Even having walked with her for an hour and 30 mins after she cried through her first afternoon nap.

What should I do if she doesn’t fall asleep within the scheduled nap window or she falls asleep just before she’s supposed to feed? Should I let her sleep? Should I keep her awake until the next scheduled sleep window?

Hi Carolynne,
Thank you for visiting The Baby Sleep Site! I’m sorry to hear you’re struggling so much with your baby’s sleep. I’m not a sleep consultant, but since she is so young, we would probably not recommend a strict schedule at this age anyway, so get naps when you can. If she’s crying excessively, you might also want to double-check her feeding schedule to make sure she’s not still hungry or needs more milk, and/or check with a pediatrician to rule out reflux or another health issue. We also have an article with tips for this age here: https://www.babysleepsite.com/newborns/2-month-old-baby-sleep-tips/
If you rule out health and feeding issues and are still having a lot of trouble, one of the sleep consultants would definitely be able to help you. I hope this helps, and good luck!

Hi @Kay, thanks for writing! Personally, I do! Yesterday my 17 month old started crying only 45 minutes into his nap, I paused for a few minutes, and sure enough he slept another hour. You may need to teach baby how to settle (they learn this skill by being put down awake initially), but yes it is common for babies to cry/wake up between sleep cycles and go back to sleep again. I hope this helps!